Building Techniques Research Articles

Skill Building in Large Classes

Skill building is a widely recognized teaching goal in philosophy. Some well-researched skill building techniques include scaffolded assignment design, low-stakes assignments, and peer-review. Many papers have highlighted the efficacy of these techniques by demonstrating novel course and assignment design; for example, the use of blogging in philosophy courses has been shown to have positive results on student writing. While the efficacy of skill building centered course design on student learning seems uncontroversial, two major problems are typically raised: the time investment for such course design is significant and implementing these techniques in large classes is not possible. The central aim of this paper is to combat this second claim. I present a course designed around skill building that has been successfully implemented in classes of from 120 to 450 students. I show some techniques that make this implementation possible and not unwieldy, and I argue that students both improved their philosophical skills and enjoyed the course design.

Sustainability in the strengthening process of the load-bearing historical structures

Preservation of the load-bearing historical structures represents a common research topic nowadays, as it stands a provocative and difficult task. At the same time, sustainability represents a concept of high interest in the light of recent climate change events, a concept that has become a responsibility in the past years. Safeguarding of the historical buildings with heritage value is an obligation of society to be able to pass on to future generations the historical cultural value of the buildings and the traditional construction techniques on which they were built. Nowadays, many historical buildings are consolidated with modern reversible materials and technologies, without attempting a sustainable consolidation with local traditional materials using the original building techniques and local building materials, which have already proved their effectiveness in the past. This article presents the sustainable consolidation methods proposed to consolidate the historic building of the Villa Abbatis guesthouse in the village of Apos, Sibiu County, Romania. The proposed consolidation techniques use bricks that are manufactured according to traditional method in a recently built brickworks and reuse existing building materials in the building and from abandoned buildings after the departure of ethnic Germans from Romania until 1990. The aim of this paper is to highlight the value of the traditional materials and technologies, that can bring in the retrofitting process not only the assurance of the bearing capacity, but also the preservation of the authenticity and sustainability of the entire process, in a holistic approach.

Rapport Building in community settings

Establishing good rapport and interpersonal relationship is crucial aspect for public health researcher to embark upon authentic information and concerns of local community that later might have a bigger public health impact in policy making. Despite of its importance, researchers often fail to favourably present themselves in front of participants. The active listening, maintaining eye contact, self disclosure, tuning in, sharing expectations and intentions, non verbal cues, persistent contact and being empathetic are some of the most common techniques of rapport building discussed in literatures. Despite the fact that they have been proved to be beneficial, they do not provide clarity on “what, when, or where”. As a result, this article suggests a step-by-step approach that a researcher might use when conducting community-based research.

Earthquakes, sustainable settlements and traditional construction techniques

Urbanization is increasing all around the world due to population growth and big cities receive a high volume of migrants due to economic and social reasons. However, rapid population growth should be prevented in big cities in order to provide comfortable living conditions to the population. When urban planning practices do not catch the speed of urbanization; the tendency towards vertical architecture increases, the amount of green space decreases and problems related to unplanned urbanization come to the fore. These important problems, which have considerably increased recently in Türkiye, may lead greater problems in many respects. The parallel and self-sufficient development of urban and rural areas, which is defined as urban sustainability, is considered as the best-case scenario in urban planning practices. This aim is adopted nowadays by most of the countries in the world as it prevents rapid population growth in cities and depopulation in rural areas. Decisions which are taken to ensure urban sustainability are important for all countries. However, these decisions become even more important in regions with disaster risk. As the majority of Türkiye’s land area is under seismic risk, the problems which may arise due to rapid urbanization during an earthquake should be prevented. The damage and losses which could occur during an earthquake and the security, health, education problems which will arise after the earthquake can be solved by preventing dense housing and uncontrolled migration in urban areas. The connection between urban and rural areas should be strengthened. Besides, the social and economic sustainability of the rural area should be ensured. Settlements should be designed away from fault lines with a holistic approach as “living spaces” which consist components such as; transportation, infrastructure, green spaces and educational spaces. Additionally; the use of appropriate construction techniques and materials should be accepted as a priority. In this context, it can be mentioned that traditional building techniques, which have been developed over centuries and whose deficiencies have been improved during this period, should be preferred especially in rural areas. In this study, the criteria that gain importance in the construction of earthquake resistant and sustainable settlements are evaluated on Türkiye case. The precautions which should be taken to ensure rural sustainability and to prevent the depopulation of rural areas are emphasized. Within this scope, the importance of protecting the architectural texture and regenerating traditional building culture was discussed in constructing earthquake resistant settlements.

A Reappraisal of the Genoese Walls of Galata (Fourteenth–Fifteenth Centuries) in Terms of Medieval Building Techniques and Masonry Traditions

A Reappraisal of the Genoese Walls of Galata (Fourteenth–Fifteenth Centuries) in Terms of Medieval Building Techniques and Masonry Traditions

Algorithmic Analysis and Comparative Evaluation of Conical Curve Construction Methods

This article analyzes and compares conical curve creation methods using algorithms. The four methods investigated were linear interpolation, Bézier curve, geometric form approximation, and numerical differential equation solutions. Using mathematics, this research dissects these strategies to understand their underpinnings. Comparisons of accuracy, computing efficiency, and adaptability reveal each method's strengths and drawbacks. This article hopes to help practitioners and academics choose conical curve building techniques based on their construction applications.

Ислам и пережитки доисламских верований в Золотой Орде по материалам архитектуры погребальных сооружений

The purpose of the study: To consider how monumental architecture, in particular memorial buildings, reflected the changes in society associated with the adoption of Islam in the Golden Horde and ties with other Muslim states. Research materials: Mausoleums which are the most numerous objects of monumental architecture explored throughout the territory of the Golden Horde. The paper considers both archaeological sites and various images of mausoleums: drawings of the 18th–19th centuries, and photographs of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Results and scientific novelty: On the basis of building technology in the Golden Horde, two areas of architecture are distinguished – building from brick (fired and raw) and building from stone. An analysis of the planning, construction techniques, architectural details of the mausoleums, and construction equipment leads to the conclusion that several directions can be traced in the composition of the Golden Horde memorial architecture. The influence of the Central Asian school associated with the construction of fired and raw bricks was very significant. The architectural forms of brick mausoleums, distributed mainly in the steppe zone, find direct analogies among the monuments of Central Asia, primarily Khorezm. In the monuments made in the technique of stone construction, the influence of Asia Minor and Transcaucasia can be traced. It is expressed both in the architectonics of buildings and in the use of certain building techniques. The Golden Horde tower mausoleums, most likely, were exact copies of those in Asia Minor and Azerbaijan. Along with the forms of memorial buildings typical for the Muslim world, there were buildings of archaic appearance in the ulus of Jochi. Pyramidal mausoleums were built there, the shape of which the researchers deduce from the tomb structures in the form of barrows; these can be associated with the Turkic memorial buildings of the 9th–11th centuries.

Следы животных на строительной керамике золотоордынского Солхата

The archaeological researches of the Crimean ulus of the Golden Horde discovered a multitude of finds in the cultural layers from the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, particularly building ceramic ware with footprints of animals. Such finds not only reflect the level of development of building technique, but also allow the one to determine the species composition of the fauna in the mediaeval Crimea, to amend the information on the economic and industrial activities of the population of Solkhat in the Golden Horde period. Among the footprints on bricks there are traces of canines (domestic dog and wolf), felines (cat), and artiodactyls (goat). Most of the footprints, 14 specimens, belong to canine animals, cat footprints are documented on four bricks, and only one artefact shows a footprint of goat’s hoof. This statistic is indirectly confirmed by the analysis of osteological materials, with a significant percentage of dogs’ remains and a little less of cats’. Goat’s bones are also rare; small cattle is mostly represented by sheep’s bones, the breeding area of which probably does not coincide with the place where Solkhat building ceramics were produced. The building ceramics with footprints of animals’ paws and hoofs originating from the excavations of the mediaeval settlement of Solkhat is published for the first time.

A Primer on 2D Descriptors in Selectivity Modeling for Asymmetric Catalysis.

Machine learning has permeated all fields of research, including chemistry, and is now an integral part of the design of novel compounds with desired properties. In the field of asymmetric catalysis, the preference still lies with models based on a physical understanding of the catalysis phenomenon and the electronic and steric properties of catalysts. However, such models require quantum chemical calculations and are thus limited by their computational cost. Here, we highlight the recent advances in modeling catalyst selectivity by using the 2D structures of catalysts and substrates. While these have a less explicit mechanistic connection to the modeled property, 2D descriptors, such as topological indices, molecular fingerprints, and fragments, offer the tremendous advantages of low cost and high speed of calculations. This makes them optimal for the in-silico screening of large amounts of data. We provide an overview of common quantitative structure-property relationship workflow, model building and validation techniques, applications of these methodologies in asymmetric catalysis design, and an outlook on improving the understanding of 2D-based models.

Decoding the Images of the Polish Countryside, by Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972)

This article looks at the photographic legacy of Louise Arner Boyd’s (1887-1972) expedition through the Second Polish Republic in the context of her discovery of the otherness and social diversity of the country she visited in 1934. The authors were particularly captivated by the portrayal of the Ruthenians/Ukrainians of what is now Western Ukraine, as depicted in the Boyd photography. The authors focus lies on the unprocessed photographic content from the library collections of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the book she published a few years after her journey with the cooperation of the American Geographical Society in New York. The authors told the story of Louise A. Boyd’s trip to Poland primarily to introduce the reader to the context of the creation of the photographic collection, in which authors try to discover content and meanings that have not been sought before. Their analysis of the making-off process and reception into academia for Boyd’s book entitled Polish Countryside is also crucial to understanding that it is only a part of the collection. It is a specific vision and a compromise between the photographer’s and the publisher’s expectations. The Boyd photographic collection focused on rural landscapes and the architecture of villages and farms, capturing various farming methods, road and water transport scenes, village types and traditional clothing. With meticulous descriptions and detailed lists of the photographed locations and subjects, the collection serves as valuable documentation of building styles and techniques, traditional costumes, transportation, markets and agricultural and fishing practices. Thanks to Boyd’s skilled photographer’s eye, she was able to capture visually attractive photographs that also serve as scientifically intriguing documents of a bygone era. The significance of these photos extends beyond the confines of ethnography, as we have endeavoured to emphasise in this article. Through reinterpreting Ruthenians/ Ukrainians portraits in Boyd photographs after almost a century, we aim to grasp the preserved and concealed contexts, thereby reconstructing, if not the complete image, at least its distinct components. However, the images of contemporary Western Ukraine and its inhabitants by Louise Arner Boyd that the authors analysed are currently in the photography collection mentioned above from the UWM as part of the digitalised archive of the American Geographical Society. The authors had attempted to look at them both as an example of ethnographic photography typical of the interwar period and a unique image of a world that no longer exists. In the authors’ opinion, Louise A. Boyd’s photograms, placed as raw ethnographic material in the mentioned repository of the UWM library, today have the value that she wanted to give them from the beginning when she was considering the publication of Polish Countrysides, and they are a reminder of a world whose traces have almost disappeared today.

A Study on Sustainable Concrete by using Recycled Concrete Aggregate and Waste Glass

Sustainable and affordable building materials are a developing concern in the construction sector. This abstract outline a creative method for creating a cost-effective concrete mix that uses discarded glass as the fine aggregate and recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) as the main coarse material. The goal is to investigate whether using recycled materials instead of traditional aggregates is feasible while both addressing environmental issues and lowering construction costs. The proposed concrete mix's mechanical qualities, financial ramifications, and environmental impact were all compared through laboratory experiments, a thorough assessment of the literature, and comparative analysis. The scrap glass came from glass bottles and other abandoned containers, while the RCA came from crushed concrete waste. The experimental studies assessed different concrete mix proportions while taking into account various replacement amounts for RCA and waste glass. Along with other crucial qualities like workability, density, and durability, the mechanical properties including compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength were evaluated. The test outcomes were contrasted with a control concrete mixture made up only of common aggregates. The results of the research show that using waste glass as fine aggregate and recycled coarse material in the making of concrete can substantially reduce building costs. The mechanical performance of the concrete was not significantly affected by the use of the RCA and waste glass in place of normal aggregates. Additionally, using these recycled materials lowers the amount of waste that is transported to landfills and helps conserve natural resources. Economic concrete mixtures that use waste glass as fine aggregate and recycled coarse material have enormous potential for green building techniques. This method is appealing for large-scale construction projects due to the lower material cost and positive environmental effects. To make sure the best mix proportions are employed, it is necessary to take the specific application into account as well as the engineering requirements. This study supports continuing initiatives to advance affordability and sustainability in the building sector. As well as studying further strategies to improve the engineering features of recycled aggregate-based concrete, future research could concentrate on examining the long-term performance and durability of the suggested concrete mix.

Resilient joints with SMA bar-shear friction damper (SSFD) device in steel modern Chinese traditional-style buildings: Seismic performance evaluation and optimized design

To inherit and protect ancient Chinese architectural culture, modern building materials and techniques have been combined in the modern Chinese traditional-style building (MCTB) with similar exterior forms to ancient Chinese timber architecture. However, the typical joint in MCTB exhibits weak energy dissipation capacity and significant residual deformation under seismic actions, resulting in a problematic post-earthquake repair behavior. A semi-rigid friction-damped joint with resilient function has been proposed to improve the seismic performance and recoverability of MCTBs. Low-cyclic loading was conducted on four specimens of full scale. The results indicated that the yielding failure of four specimens primarily occurred in the vulnerable regions designed with replaceable angles. Compared with semi-rigid joints, the yield displacement, overall strength, initial stiffness, and cumulative energy dissipation of the specimen with the shape memory alloy (SMA) bar-shear friction damper device was significantly increased, and the residual deformation was significantly reduced, indicating that the device has a significant enhancement effect on the seismic and repairable performance of the structure. Based on the experimental results, a three-dimensional model was established using ABAQUS finite element software to optimize the design of joints and determine the optimal structural system that meets the requirements of MCTB.

Capacity Building for Teaching English in Universities of Afghanistan

In the 20th and 21st centuries, English became an essential part of the educational curriculum in schools and universities of Afghanistan, particularly after a period of Taliban dominion that had no stable educational system. The educational system took a new turn in schools, institutes and universities to enter a period of progress. Teaching of English language became popular and many institutes started English language programs to teach students. The English language was included in the curriculums of schools and universities as a mandatory subject due to its acceptance as a global language. The study aims to explore and find out the challenges of teaching English as a foreign language in universities of Afghanistan and to provide techniques for capacity building of teachers for English language teaching. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from Faculty teaching English in Afghanistan to understand their perspectives on the challenges. Likert scale is used in the research questionnaire to measure the scores allotted by faculty on each challenge. Results will be drawn for data analysis using one sample t-test.

CFD simulations of supplemental cooling techniques in cross-ventilated dairy buildings and associated greenhouse gas emissions

Dairy ventilation studies typically focus on reducing heat stress. Dairy buildings are often constructed with ventilation systems that exceed recommendations without prioritizing energy use. Given the rising production costs that dairy farmers face, it is becoming increasingly important to implement energy-saving technologies that can help reduce operating expenses. In this study, we tested whether ventilation rates of dairy buildings could be lowered when the existing cross-ventilation system was supplemented with a ground source heat pump for conductive or convective cooling. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were validated by comparing measurements taken in a cross-ventilated building to the simulated data. It was found that the presence of baffles helped cool the barn, and the difference between the inlet and outlet barn temperatures was less than 2 °C (0.86 ± 0.08 °C at 0.5 m height), as recommended. However, there were still warm spots (T > 30 °C) within the stalls. When conductive cooling was implemented, the air velocity could be lowered from 1.03 ± 0.34 to 0.71 ± 0.29 m/s, resulting in reduced energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions (14.7–25.5 %) while achieving the same temperature profile. With convective cooling, air velocity could be lowered to 0.69 ± 0.18 m/s, leading to a 17.0–27.7 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, it decreased the average temperature at the 0.45–0.55 m (cow sitting height) from 29.3 ± 0.80 °C to 28.1 ± 0.15 °C. Given the projected rise in the social cost of carbon, supplementing cross ventilation with convective cooling has the potential to have economic and environmental benefits and lower the number of warm spots observed inside the building. However, a more detailed cost analysis is needed before making any recommendations.

The Nature of the „BEAST”

Pre-adolescent kids love stories and do not accept deviations or interruptions in the narrative line. They are connected to "life" and immediately condemn the lack of sincerity. The very young audience is different from an adult or teenage audience. It must be understood and educated. "Children are the future" is not a cliché but a reality. If the psychological mechanisms and springs that make them work are analysed and used intelligently in a show with a complex universe, theatre can create a leap in consciousness for new generations. Building techniques must be developed and improved in such a way that the performing arts regain their vital role in the rebirth of a nation.

A Systematic Review on Knowledge Graphs Classification and Their Various Usages

A Knowledge Graph is a directive graph where the nodes state the entities and the edges describe the relationships between the entities of data. It is also referred to as a Semantic Network. The massive amount of data generated every day can be transformed into knowledge via knowledge graphs for the effective use of these data. Knowing the classification of Knowledge Graphs is required to adapt to different requirements of Knowledge Graphs. Knowledge Graphs are primarily classified concerning their building techniques and their usages. In building techniques, it is considered how the Knowledge Graph is built. For example, the graph can be constructed as a triplet, quadruplet, etc., or created from structured data, e.g., database, or unstructured data, e.g., text, image, etc. On the other hand, Knowledge Graphs can be used for various purposes. For example, Knowledge Graphs can be used for Information Retrieval, Semantic Query, etc., or different types of data visualization. Nowadays, Knowledge Graph is one of the trending topics in the modern technology-dependent world. However, clear and specific discussions on the classifications of Knowledge Graphs and their various usages are less available. In this paper, we will describe the classification of knowledge graphs and their various usages in detail so that the readers can get a clear concept of this topic.

Experimental study of passive cooling techniques in an oil-immersed transformer building

Transformer is a critical component of electrical power systems, and its failure can disrupt the power supply. Additionally, the high investment cost of transformers emphasizes the importance of maintenance and improved service life. The transformer losses cause increased temperature in various parts of the equipment, particularly in the hot-spot temperature, which leads to insulation aging and decreases the service life of the transformer. This study investigates passive cooling techniques for an oil-immersed transformer by experimenting with four methods: shield (T-shield), photovoltaic panel canopy and cooling fan (T-PV/Fan), two heat pipes (T-Heat Pipe) and nanofluid (T-Nano Fluid) in a laboratory transformer with a 1750-W power. The bulk and hot-spot temperature of the oil tank are compared, and the results demonstrate that all techniques improve thermal management and expand the service life of the transformer. The photovoltaic panel and cooling fan (T-PV/Fan) have the highest effect and are expected to prolong the existing system's lifespan up to 48 years based on the IEC 60076 standard.

Real-Time 3D Map Building in a Mobile Robot System with Low-Bandwidth Communication

This paper presents a new 3D map building technique using a combination of 2D SLAM and 3D objects that can be implemented on relatively low-cost hardware in real-time. Recently, 3D visualization of the real world became increasingly important. In robotics, it is not only required for intelligent control, but also necessary for operators to provide intuitive visualization. SLAM is generally applied for this purpose, as it is considered a basic ability for truly autonomous robots. However, due to the increase in the amount of data, real-time processing is becoming a challenge. Therefore, in order to address this problem, we combine 2D data and 3D objects to create a new 3D map. The combination is simple yet robust based on rotation, translation, and clustering techniques. The proposed method was applied to a mobile robot system for indoor observation. The results show that real-time performance can be achieved by the system. Furthermore, we also combine high and low-bandwidth networks to deal with network problems that usually occur in wireless communication. Thus, robust wireless communication can be established, as it ensures that the missions can be continued even if the system loses the main network.

Seismic assessment of Isolator-Damper hybrid structural system based on analysis of MDOF and modal 2DOF models

A hybrid structural system is introduced and assessed; by combining two widely used passive devices, isolator and damper, along with the use of the partial plan isolation technique in the conventional buildings. Four partial isolation cases in comparison with three limit cases including a full-base fixing, full-base isolating and ideal story damping (Skyhook) are used on a finite element model of a 12-story building. The mentioned four cases have been selected by changing the number of fixed and isolated columns which caused isolated mass ratio between 28% and 71%. Also, a simplified manifest of the seismic performance of this proposed hybrid system is presented in the form of a 2DOF model. Time history analyzes under far- and near-faults earthquakes, frequency analysis and stationary random analysis under white noise are performed. Various structural actions are investigated, including the root mean squares (rms) and maximum of drift, displacement, shear, acceleration, maximum total and plastic deformation and energies of different parts of this system. It can be inferred from the results that desired efficiency extent of this system occurs in the range of 30–70% for the mass isolation ratio. In addition, the novel approach has prevented the full isolation of the base columns (even up to 70% reduction in isolation capacity) and by removing operational limitations such as providing a large performance gap in dense urban areas, compared to a full-isolated structure, it reduces the cost of construction.

A Digital Approach to Revisiting the Byzantine Past of Al-Madrassa Al-Halawiyya in Aleppo

The architectural complex of the al-Madrasa al-Halawiyya in Aleppo, Syria, remains one of the most remarkable monuments in the centuries-old city. First founded as the Church of St. Helen in the 6th century to serve as the Cathedral of Byzantine Aleppo, the structure preserves evidence of a complicated building history. For example, the Cathedral was converted into a mosque in 1124; later, parts of the church were integrated into a Madrassa. More recently, damage to the structure due to the war revealed information about Byzantine building methods. This research revisits the building history of the monument by relying on a parametric, Building Information Modelling (BIM) representation to compare the surviving structure with earlier reconstructions. This article addresses the following: (1) A survey of the building's history, topography, and architecture: Over the centuries, al-Madrasa al-Halawiyya has attracted Medieval monks, travellers, brigands, scholars, and more. Their accounts offer exciting opportunities to contextualise structural and functional changes to the complex. (2) An analysis of the historical structure, especially from the Byzantine period: The presented three-dimensional (3D) documentation of the site focused on historical transformations, which the authors then traced and compared by means of BIM to reconstructions proposed by Samuel Guyer (1911) and Michel Écochard (1950). This research demonstrates how a hybrid methodology can be used to establish building phases for comparison with historical and scholarly accounts, revealing new knowledge about building techniques and processes. The presented work started with a field survey of the monument, which was used to generate a hybrid 3D point cloud. Using the point cloud, the Byzantine church was virtually reconstructed and several construction phases were identified. At the same time, Heritage-BIM models were created based on the work of Guyer and Écochard. Finally, the Guyer and Écochard models were compared with the proposed Byzantine reconstruction and point cloud.